Cicero, IL Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Article X of the Cicero Code (Sec. 22-611 to 22-624), adopted by Ordinance No. 50-24 on August 13, 2024 and amended by Ordinance No. 69-25, creates a town-wide vacant building and foreclosure registry to fight the deterioration, crime and declining property values that the board of trustees found vacant and foreclosing structures cause. 00 for mixed-use, commercial or industrial property; renewal is due every six months. Registered properties must be kept free of weeds, trash, graffiti and abandoned-looking debris, secured against unauthorized entry, and posted with a property manager's name and 24-hour phone number in a window facing the street.

An owner may appeal a vacant-building determination in writing to the vacant building appeals committee within 15 calendar days. A vacant building may not remain boarded longer than six months without an approved plan, and, absent boarding, may not sit vacant more than two years without an approved occupancy, sale or demolition plan. Properties with unpaid registration or inspection fees cannot receive a real estate transfer tax stamp, and anyone occupying a vacant building must first obtain a certificate of code compliance. Unpaid fees, fines and abatement costs become liens on the property, and liability for accrued fees follows the property through any sale or transfer.